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MTG formats

Every format we have legality data for. Counts are derived directly from Scryfall's legality feed, so bans and restrictions update as Wizards publishes them.

Primary formats

Standard

standard

Rotating format built around the newest sets. WOTC ban list applies.

5,460 legal13 banned

Pioneer

pioneer

Non-rotating format from Return to Ravnica forward. No fetchlands.

15,381 legal31 banned

Modern

modern

Non-rotating format from 8th Edition forward.

23,012 legal52 banned
Eternal formats

Legacy

legacy

Deep card pool. Ban list, no restrictions.

32,425 legal171 banned

Vintage

vintage

Nearly every card is legal. Uses a restricted list.

32,443 legal101 banned52 restricted

Pauper

pauper

Commons only. Every card must have been printed at common somewhere.

10,987 legal76 banned
Casual formats

Commander

commander

100-card singleton around a legendary commander.

32,643 legal83 banned

Oathbreaker

oathbreaker

60-card singleton around a planeswalker + signature spell.

32,455 legal210 banned

Brawl

brawl

Standard-legal singleton with a legendary commander. Historic pool on Arena.

16,563 legal37 banned

Standard Brawl

standardbrawl

Brawl restricted to Standard-legal cards.

5,475 legal
Digital formats

Historic

historic

MTG Arena non-rotating format. Includes Arena-only cards.

16,516 legal84 banned

Timeless

timeless

MTG Arena eternal format. Broadest legal pool on Arena.

16,380 legal4 restricted

Alchemy

alchemy

MTG Arena format with digital-only rebalances.

4,229 legal1 banned

Gladiator

gladiator

MTG Arena Historic singleton. 100-card, no commander.

16,377 legal7 banned

Penny Dreadful

penny

Only cards under a small price ceiling are legal.

15,697 legal
Historical formats

Premodern

premodern

4th Edition through Scourge. Community-run.

5,375 legal33 banned

Old School

oldschool

Very early cardpool from the Alpha through Fallen Empires era.

324 legal7 banned1 restricted

PreDH

predh

Commander using pre-2011 cards only.

11,514 legal48 banned

Future Standard

future

What Standard will look like once the current block rotates in.

5,430 legal13 banned

Duel Commander

duel

1v1 Commander variant with its own ban list.

32,388 legal250 banned27 restricted
Frequently asked

About MTG formats

Where does the legality data come from?
Directly from Scryfall's legality feed. When Wizards of the Coast updates a banlist, Scryfall reflects it and our per-format counts and per-card labels move with it. We do not maintain a hand-curated list.
What is the difference between "banned" and "restricted"?
A banned card cannot be played in the format at all. A restricted card, which only exists today in Vintage, may be played at one copy per deck. Every other format is currently all-legal-or-banned.
How can I find every card that is legal in one format?
Use the Card Finder with a legality filter set to the format you care about. Combine with a colour, price cap, or capability filter to narrow the list to what you actually want to buy or brew with.
What about Commander bracket levels?
Commander's bracket system (1 through 5) is a matchmaking guidance layer, not a rules-legality change. The "Game Changer" designation on individual cards is surfaced on card pages when Wizards marks it, so bracket-4 shortcuts remain identifiable while our banlist counts stay canonical.
Do you show format prices?
On card pages, yes: legality and current price sit side by side. For per-format market context, see Market movers; for graded values on slabbed vintage staples, see Graded prices.